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Each bite of this Cinnamon Cake is perfectly sweet, soft, and oh-so comforting!  Bake this perfectly moist cake brimming with cinnamon, layer with sweet buttercream frosting, and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

There’s no combo quite like cinnamon and sugar, and this easy cake recipe balances the warm notes of cinnamon perfectly with the sweetness of sugar. If you love cinnamon sugar recipes like snickerdoodle cookies or cinnamon rolls and need a simple dessert that’ll be a surefire hit, make this cinnamon sugar cake!  I love it so much I might even ditch my typical funfetti cake for a cinnamon birthday cake this year!

A two-layer cinnamon cake topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting sliced on a plate.

Table of contents

Why You’ll Love This Cinnamon Sugar Cake Recipe

  • Bakery Level Presentation. With two layers and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to finish, this cinnamon sugar recipe will have your family thinking it just came out of a bakery box. I love how polished and inviting this cake looks by topping the cake with diy cinnamon sugar. 
  • Homemade, but Easy. If you’re ready to skip the box cake mix but have been hesitant to dive into homemade cakes, this recipe is easy to follow and uses familiar ingredients. 
  • Serve Any Time of Day. This is an ideal cake for brunch, with tea or hot chocolate in the afternoon, or for after-dinner dessert while sipping a decaf latte. Cinnamon layers and buttercream sweetness make this a delectable treat to match any menu.
cinnamon cake ingredients.

Ingredients

The perfect 2-layer vanilla cinnamon cake topped with a cinnamon sugar frosting is made with the following easy-to-find ingredients.

Cinnamon Layer Cake Ingredients

  • Flour: All-purpose flour is best for this cake. 
  • Baking Soda: Gives cake lift. 
  • Baking Powder: For the right amount of rise. 
  • Salt: Balances all the sweetness. 
  • Ground Cinnamon: The shining star of ingredients for a warm and bold taste. 
  • Eggs: Gives the cake moisture and holds things together for layers that stack with ease. 
  • Sugar: It wouldn’t be a cinnamon sugar cake without classic white granulated sugar for sweetness. 
  • Butter: All delicious cakes start with at least a stick of unsalted butter.  If you only have salted butter, cut the salt in half. 
  • Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor and a light cinnamony color to your cake. 
  • Sour Cream: My favorite way to balance sweetness and keep a cake moist.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting Ingredients 

  • Butter: The base of all buttercream frostings!
  • Powdered Sugar: This sugar mixes smoothly into frostings because it’s ground to be soft and fluffy compared to granulated sugar. 
  • Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream adds moisture for smooth frosting. 
  • Ground Cinnamon: Cinnamon frosting carries cinnamon into every part of this cake! 
  • Vanilla Extract: Gives depth to buttercream and pairs well with cinnamon. 
  • Cinnamon Sugar: Top things off with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. You might be making more to sprinkle on toast and pancakes!  I like the 1-part cinnamon to 4-part sugar ratio.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Greek Yogurt: Use 1 cup of Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream.  The yogurt will help the cake to be moist.  I recommend whole milk Greek yogurt for this substitution.
step-by-step process collage of how to make cinnamon cake.

How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Cake

This cinnamon cake recipe has a few simple steps: bake the cakes, whip up the frosting, and layer the cake with cinnamon cake filling.

How to Bake the Cinnamon Cakes

  1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two 9-inch round baking pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Mix. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. Cream. In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until light and creamy. Then, add the butter and vanilla extract and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended.
  4. Combine. On a low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until blended. DO NOT OVER-MIX! Add the sour cream and beat until smooth.
  5. Bake. Divide batter evenly into prepared baking pans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
  6. Cool. Allow the cake to cool before frosting.
a cake knife frosting one layer of cinnamon cake.

How to Make the Cinnamon Sugar Buttercream Frosting

  1. Beat. Mix softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add. Add powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes or until smooth.
assembling two-layer cinnamon cake.

How to Assemble the 2-Layer Cake

  1. Assemble. Spread the frosting between layers and over top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar.
  2. Enjoy. Serve with coffee, tea, or milk!
cinnamon cake with cinnamon buttercream frosting on a plate.

Expert Tips

  • Do Not Overmix the Cake Batter. When mixing the cake batter, do not over-mix it. Over-mixing will lead to a dry, dense cake. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, only mix all the ingredients until just combined. You will still see some flour in the bowl, and that’s okay!
  • Slice of Bread Trick. Once the cinnamon sugar cake layers are baked, place the two cake pans on top of a wire rack to cool before frosting. A little trick I learned is to place a slice of bread on top of each cake – this keeps the cake super moist when it’s cooling. You can also place two pieces of bread on each side of the cake after you have sliced the cake to help the leftover cake stay moist and not dry out. It’s the best trick in the book!
  • Start with a Crumb Coat. To avoid getting crumbs in the cinnamon buttercream, cool the cake to room temperature before frosting it. Then, brush off any loose crumbs. Apply a very thin layer of frosting to set the crumbs (don’t worry if there are crumbs in this layer). Allow it to set, then apply a thicker final top coat of frosting. Of course, crumb coats are also all the rage now, so you can go for that too!
  • Line Pan with Parchment. To easily remove the cake from the pan and reduce possible crumbs, put a circular piece of parchment at the bottom of the pan.  You can trace the pan on the parchment and then cut it out and place it inside the pan.
sliced cinnamon cake on cake stand.

Recipe Variations

  • Lavender:  If you love a honey lavender latte, try using lavender extract in place of vanilla extract.  This will add a unique flavor you’ll be dreaming of long after the last slice has been served.  For a more subtle lavender taste, just add half the amount of extract.
  • Cinnamon Sticks: Adding a few cinnamon sticks on top of the cinnamon frosting adds a fun decoration!  After slicing the cake, add one of the cinnamon sticks into your coffee or tea!

Serving Suggestions

If you love cinnamon sugar desserts, this cake is perfect for serving up for brunch or holidays.  I love serving this cinnamon butter cake with my apple pie cinnamon twists and coffee.  The twists are delicious for dunking in the coffee while nibbling on some cake too! 

The cinnamon cake is beautiful when served on its own as well and goes great with coffee, tea, lattes, or even a chai latte! This beautiful sweet cinnamon dessert is great for parties too, and will be a showstopper in any party dessert spread!

Recipe FAQ

What does cinnamon do to a cake?

Cinnamon adds a warm spice to cake and beautiful speckles of color.  Cinnamon will not change the rise or texture of a cake, but adds flavor and color that you’ll love.  Cinnamon in a cake pairs well with buttercream or cream cheese frosting and can be served any time of the day.

How do you make a cake light and fluffy?

To make a cake light and fluffy, you want to mix ingredients until just mixed and be cautious not to overmix. Make sure to stir dry ingredients together fully before adding to your wet ingredients.  Cream your butter, sugar, and eggs thoroughly using an electric hand or stand mixer first, then carefully spoon in your dry ingredients while mixing at a low speed.

How do you stack a 2-layer cake?

Stacking a 2 layer cake is easier than you think!  The first step to successful stacking is to make sure your cake layers are fully cooled to room temperature.  Then you’ll want to make sure you have the right tools.  A long flat cake spatula or offset spatula works best for applying frosting and a lazy susan turntable is also super helpful. 

Start with spreading a layer of frosting on top of the bottom layer, carefully stack the second layer, then apply a thin crumb coat of frosting to the sides and top.  Allow the crumb layer to set and firm up a bit before adding your second and final layer of frosting.

fork slicing a piece of cinnamon cake.

Storing

  • Store. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To keep the cake moist, store a piece of bread on each cut side of the cake.
  • Freeze. Freeze leftover cake in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

More Cake Recipes

Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe

The Best Banana Cake Recipe

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two-layer cinnamon cake topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting sliced on a plate.
4.65 from 79 ratings
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Servings: 12 servings

Cinnamon Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Each bite of this Cinnamon Sugar Cake is perfectly sweet, soft, and oh-so comforting! There’s no combo quite like cinnamon and sugar, and this easy cake recipe balances the warm notes of cinnamon perfectly with the sweetness of sugar. 
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Ingredients

CAKE:

CINNAMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 2 sticks
  • 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream or whole milk
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon-sugar, sprinkle on top of cake

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. To easily remove the cake from the pan and reduce possible crumbs, put a circular piece of parchment at the bottom of the pan.  You can trace the pan on the parchment and then cut it out and place it inside the pan the two 9-inch round baking pans and then spray non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, using an electric or stand mixer on medium speed, beat eggs and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until light and creamy. Add the butter and vanilla extract and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended. Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed until blended. DO NOT OVER MIX! Add the sour cream and beat until smooth.
  • Divide batter evenly into prepared baking pans. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before frosting.

MAKE THE FROSTING:

  • Mix softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 30 seconds until smooth and creamy.
  • Add powdered sugar, milk, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes or until smooth.
  • Spread the frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Notes

  • Do Not Overmix the Cake Batter. When mixing the cake batter, do not over-mix it. Over-mixing will lead to a dry, dense cake. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, only mix all the ingredients until just combined. You will still see some flour in the bowl, and that’s okay!
  • Slice of Bread Trick. Once the cinnamon sugar cake layers are baked, place the two cake pans on top of a wire rack to cool before frosting. A little trick I learned is to place a slice of bread on top of each cake – this keeps the cake super moist when it’s cooling. You can also place two pieces of bread on each side of the cake after you have sliced the cake to help the leftover cake stay moist and not dry out. It’s the best trick in the book!
  • Start with a Crumb Coat. To avoid getting crumbs in the cinnamon buttercream, cool the cake to room temperature before frosting it. Then, brush off any loose crumbs. Apply a very thin layer of frosting to set the crumbs (don’t worry if there are crumbs in this layer). Allow it to set, then apply a thicker final top coat of frosting. Of course, crumb coats are also all the rage now, so you can go for that too!
  • Line Pan with Parchment. To easily remove the cake from the pan and reduce possible crumbs, put a circular piece of parchment at the bottom of the pan.  You can trace the pan on the parchment and then cut it out and place it inside the pan.
  • Store. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To keep the cake moist, store a piece of bread on each cut side of the cake.
  • Freeze. Freeze leftover cake in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
Calories: 565kcal, Carbohydrates: 108g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 22g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 450mg, Potassium: 92mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 35g, Vitamin A: 1150IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Cakes + Cupcakes
Author: Jennifer
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